Vatican newspaper slams 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

ROME — It may have wowed audiences around the world breaking box office records in the process, but "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" found a tough audience at the Vatican.

Calling the movie "confused and hazy," a review in Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said that the film "fails most spectacularly" in its representation of evil. It added that the blockbuster "overdoes the darkness."

Darth Vader and the Emperor Palpatine were "two of the most effective villains" in the sci-fi genre of American cinema, it suggested.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 17: Fans line up to watch 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' outside of AMC Loews Kips Bay 15 on December 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Members of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus gather in front of a bar in the French Quarter, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in New Orleans. The group, a Mardi Gras parade club, is celebrating the premiere of the latest "Star Wars" movie with costumes, a brass band and a parade through the French Quarter. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Fans seen during the opening night of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 17, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: A Storm Trooper at the 'Star Wars' Wedding of fans Andrew Porters and Caroline Ritter hekd in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese IMax Theatre on December 17, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: 'Star Wars' Fans Andrew Porters and Caroline Ritter get married in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre Imax on December 17, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Australian Star Wars fans, Andrew Porters and Caroline Ritter get married at the forecourt of Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater IMAX in Los Angeles Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. The couple stood alongside a wedding party of âStar Warsâ characters, including Chewbacca, top left, and Darth Vader, top right. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Children play with Star Wars character R2-D2 wearing a bow tie for the wedding of Australian Star Wars fans who got married at the forecourt of Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater IMAX in Los Angeles Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. The couple stood alongside a wedding party of âStar Warsâ characters, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca and a stormtrooper. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Australian Star Wars fans, Andrew Porters and Caroline Ritter get married by officiator Obi-Shawn Crosby, top left, at the forecourt of Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater IMAX in Los Angeles Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. The couple stood alongside a wedding party of âStar Warsâ characters, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, a stormtrooper and R2-D2. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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However, the new film's counterpart Kylo Ren was called "insipid" while Supreme Leader Snoke was called "the most serious defect of the film."

The newspaper — which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Roman Catholic Church — suggested the the movie was more of a reboot than a sequel.

It added that the film was a "twisted updated which fits today's tastes and a public more accustomed to sitting in front of a computer than in a cinema," adding that it was influenced by the "sloppiest current action films derived from the world of video games."

A Vatican source told NBC News on Tuesday that it was unlikely that the review would have any impact on Pope Francis, because "he doesn't watch movies."

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Vatican newspaper slams 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

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